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No hot water in pipes

I had turned off the water going my home at the water heater while I was working out of town. When I came back and turned the water back on, I have cold water but no hot water. There is water in the tank but it does not seem to leave the tank and enter the piping.

Re: No hot water in pipes

More accurate information is needed.

You replaced the hot side flex. Still, you could have a clogged hot side nipple that doesn't allow any hot water out the tank. Replace the nipple.

You should also look at the cold side shut off valve: it must be open in the "open" situation, not stuck on closed. I would replace it as well, whether you have an old fashion rotary valve or a ball valve.

Re: No hot water in pipes

Connect a garden hose to the drain. Hold the end of the garden hose in a bucket ABOVE the top of the water heater. Do you get good water flow into the bucket when you open the drain?

(Holding the bucket below the top of the water heater could cause gravity flow, which would prove nothing. We're looking for pressure flow.)

If so, the blockage is on the hot/outlet side.

If not, the blockage is on the cold/inlet side (or your water heater is so full of sediment it's blocking the drain).

Some water heaters are equipped with heat trap nipples on both the inlet and the outlet. These nipples are basically a check valve with a marble (the marble in the cold nipple floats; the one in the hot nipple sinks). If the marble is stuck, it can block the flow. Replacing the nipple is the best solution.

In some tanks, the cold nipple has a dip tube attached; in others the dip tube is a separate piece that hangs from the nipple or an internal flange.

In some tanks, the hot nipple has a sacrificial anode attached. In other tanks, the anode is attached to a separate plug.

If you have to replace the nipple, be sure to get the proper kind.

The "Senior Member" designation under my name doesn't mean I know a lot, it just means I talk a lot.I've been a DIYer since I was 12 (thanks, Dad!). I have read several books on various home improvement topics. I do not have any current code books I can refer to. I was an apprentice plumber for two years.